Brine supplying attachment for can closing machines



Aug. 25, 1931. J. H. ONEIL BRINE SUPPLYING ATTACHMENT FOR CAN CLOSING MACHINES Filed June 17, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 gvwewtoc Aug. 25, 1931. J. H. ONEIL 51mm SUPPLYING ATTACHMENT FOR cm CLOSING wwunws 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1927 wfl Aug. 25, 1931.

BRINE SUPPLYING ATTACHMENT FOR CAN CLOSING IA CHINES Filed June 17, 1927 I; M I'IY f Ill l \u- J6 I l Fig.3

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3 p with the parts l atented'Aug. 25 1931 UNITED STA JAMES Home, OF sYi-mcusn, nnw roan, nssrenon To ceurrivnnrn'n can. 2

COMPANY, 1110., or new YORK, N.

at, A oonronnrron'or new. YORK antu sUrrLYrrrG ArrAcrnrE-n'r FOR can orosrire MAcrrrnns Application filed June 17,

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a brine supplying attachment for a can closing machine.

An'object of the invention is to provide a brine supplying attachment for a can closing machine having a pad for closing the can wherein .all of are disposed above the pad so that the cans may be freely moved beneath the pad one after another. r

A further object of the invention-is to provide a brine supplying attachment of the above type wherein the pad is provided'with a portion extending into the can and wherein said brine supplying means supplies the can with brine to iill it to a predetermined level after the supply valve is closed and'as the pad is lifted from the can. i

- A still further object of the invention is to provide a'brinesupplying means of the above type which is so'associated with the closing.

machine as to be operated by and intiming of the closing machine. These and other objectswill in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed. I

In the drawings which show byway of illustration one embodiment of the inven-v Fi 'ure 1 is a front view of a filled can clos- 1 b I u o J mg machine embodying the improvements; Fig. Q -is a SGCtlOllll View on an enlarged scale through the brine supplying means, a portion ofthe closing machine and a portion of a can with the supplying means ralsed from contact with the can and the valve closed;

3is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the brine supplying means as making con-' tact with the can'and temporarily closing the same and with the valve open so thatbrine may flow freely into the can.

The invention in its broadest aspect has to do with a closing machine of any type wherein filled cans are closed one after another. Associated with and forming a part of the closingmachine is a brine supplying means for filling each canto a predetermined extent as the can is fed to the closing means which attaches the can end or cover to the can. The

he parts of the attachment 1927. 5 Serial No. 139,527.

brine supplying means as it passes to the closing means and just prior to the delivery of the-filled canto the closingmeans. v

The brine supplying means includes a pad which moves down into the filled can and the pad is provided with a rubber gasket which engages theflange of the can; so that the pad temporarilycloses the can. The brine is supplied to the can through an opening in the pad." A'valve is provided which-is normally closed when the pad is raised fro m'the can which is opened after the pad is fully seated on the can and the'can clos'ed so, that the brine is not supplied to the can until it is closed. The valve closes before the pad is raised frointhe can. The pad extends down into the can, and between the p d and the valve is a sufficient quantity of brine which will flow intothe can as the pad'is raisedso as to fill the can to a predetermined extent. By changing the pad for pads of smaller or larger dimensions the extent to WlllC-lltl'lfl can "is filled .may be varied... By the term brine? we refer of course to theliquid content of the filled can, and this may be of any character. T I

Referring lnorein detail to the drawings the invention is shown as applied to a filled can closing machine of the type disclosedin the patent 'grantedTvarl F. \Varme, March 16, 1915, No. 1,132,291.v This machine in-I cludes a supporting frame 1 on which is mounted a seaming head 2 carrying seamingrolls which secure the can end or cover to the can body by the ordinary double seam; The sea hing head is carried on a spindleB which is rotated by agear 4c- The spindl'e'3' is journaled-in' the brackets 5 and 6 carried by the frame 1 ofthe machine. The seaming head is moved and down in this type of machine so thatit lowered onto the can for closing; the same and then is raisedfrom the can. This isaccoinplished by. a lever 7. A cross head 8 moves 'up and down'with the seaming head. Rods 9, 9 are attached to this cross head and slide freely in the brackets. 5 andG. At the lower end'of the rods/9, 9v is a bracket 10' which is provided with the usual tapered ring for rounding. up the can body,

res Parser orr cs operates on each can i 7 and in the present embodiment of the machine it also supports the cover stack for the covers or ends for the filled cans and the means for feeding the cans one at a time beneath the seaming head. These parts are all similar to those shown in the patent referred to and further detailed description thereof is not thought necessary.

Extending laterally from the frame 1 is a horizontally supporting bracket 11. The filled cans indicated at C, C and C are supported on the bracket 11 and are fed in succession beneath the seaming head where they are closed and then they are removed from the machine. As a means for feeding the cans along the supporting bracket a drum 12 is used. This drum is provided with a spiral thread 13. The thread at the end of the drum 12 delivers the can, indicated at C in Figure 1 of the drawings, beneath the seaming head in proper timed relation to the movements of the seaming head and the operation of the seaming rolls. This thread 13 is shaped so that the can C has been accelerated to a certain extent and spaced from the can which is following it and then the thread as indicated at 14 is provided with a section which lies in a plane at right angles to the axis of the drum. This causes the can C to dwell for a brief period at the position indicated in Figure 1. The can C however and the other cans at the left thereof are being moved forward and at the proper time will be placed and brought to a dwell where the can C is located and then advance beneath the seaming head.

The can C may be said to be at the seaming station and the can C,'in Figure 1, is at the brining station. Located directly above the can C when it comes to a dwell is a brine supplying device which includes a plate 15 carrying a pad 16 which is secured to the plate by screws 17, 17. Between a shoulder 18 on the pad and the plate 15 is a rubber gasket 19. This pad has an opening 20 centrally thereof which extends all the way through the pad and also all the way through the plate 15. The plate is threaded and makes threaded engagement with a sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 is mounted to slide freely in a collar 22 carried by an arm 23 attached to the bracket 10 of the closing machine. A nut 24 is threaded on the upper end of the sleeve 21 and serves to limit the downward movement of the sleeve in the collar 22. A coil spring 25 is placed between the collar 22 and a flange on the sleeve 21. This spring normally forces the plate 15 and the pad carried thereby downward until further movement of the sleeve is limited by the nut 24.

The bracket 10, as above noted, reciprocates with the seaming head and this of course will cause the collar 22 to move up and down. When the collar 22 moves downward with the seaming head the pad 20 is directly over the can C and will move into the same. This will bring the rubber gasket into contact with the flange on the can after which further downward movement of the plate 15 and pad carried thereby will be prevented. The bracket 10, however, can move on downward until its reciprocation is completed compressing the spring 25. When the pad and plate are seated on the can as just described the can is temporarily tightly closed. This pad serves to depress any floating content in the can and if the can is full of brine it might cause a certain overflowing. The essential feature is that the pad shall be within the can and the can tightly closed.

The brine supplying means includes a pipe 26 which is mounted in an arm 27 attached to the cross head 8. The pipe is fixed to the arm 27 by threaded collars or nuts 28, 28, one at each side of the arm. This pipe 26 is connected to a flexible pipe 29. The flexible section in the supply pipe is for the purpose of permitting the pipe '26 to move up and down with the cross head 8. At the lower end of this pipe 26 is a valve casing 30, which may be of any desired shape. The valve casing is formed with a valve seat 31, and a cone valve 32 carried by a stem 33 is adapted to engage said valve seat 31. A spring 34- normally depresses the valve stem and holds the valve 32 on its seat. The valve casing is provided with a depending pipe 35 which extends down into the sleeve 21. Said sleeve 21 is provided with across bar 36. The valve stem has a reduced portion 37 which passes through the cross bar. The pipe 26 together with the casing 30 and depending pipe 35 make up a supply chamber for supplying the brine through the sleeve 21 and the opening 20 in the pad to the can.

It is thought that the operation of the device will be clear from the above detailed description of the structure. The filled can to be closed comes to a dwell at the brining station. lVhen the seaming head moves down to close the can at the seaming station the plate and pad at the brining station will move down into engagement with the filled can beneath the same. When the rubber gasket is fully seated on the flange of the can further downward movement of the plate and pad is prevented, but the seaming head goes on down further and the bracket 8 moves down with the seaming head and therefore the valve casing will move downward with the seaming head and this will carry the seat 31 away from the valve 32. The shoulder on the valve stem 33 engaging the cross bar 36 will cause the valve to stop when the pad is seated in the can to be supplied with brine. Thus it is that the can is temporarily closed by the gasket associated with the plate and the pad, and after it is closed the valve seat moves away from the valve and a supply of brine can pass from the pipe 26 down through the valve casing 80, the pipe 25, the sleeve 31, and the opening 30 into the can. I

The space between the pipe 26 and sleeve 21 is comparatively of small dimensions just enough to give freedom of movement of the parts and there will be no leakage of brine through this space during the comparatively brief interval required for the supplying of the brine. to the filled can. The brine will flow into the temporarily closed can filling the same full and the supply passages beneath the valve will also be full of brine. l Vhen the seaming head startsto raise the valve 32 will first come into engagement with the valve seat and close the valve so that no further brine can pass the same. After this valve is closed then the nut 24 will come into engagement with the collar 22 and the pad will be withdrawn from the can. As the pad is withdrawn from the can the brine in the brining head will flow down into the can and fill the void in the can produced by the padso that the can will be filledto a predetermined extent. It is very important that the can shall be filled with brine to the proper extent in order to give proper weight to the can. It is also important that it should not be over supplied with brine as this may interfere with the proper closing of the can.

By the improved device just described each can in succession will be filled with brineto a predetermined extent. This extent is determined by the size of the pad 16 and the capacity of the supply passages beneath the valve. The supply passages remain constant. By removingthe screws 17, pads of various sizes may be attached to the plate 15; and if a smaller pad is used then the can will be filled to a greater extent with brine becausethe void produced by the pad is of less dimensions. On the other hand, if a pad of greater size is used thenthe can will be filled to a less extent with brine.

Attempts have been made to supply filled cans with brine by permitting a brine to flow continuously into the cans as they pass beneath the brining pipe. This often results in supplying too much brine to the can and in a great waste of the brine between the passing cans. By the improved device above described there is no waste of brine and the extent to which the cans are filled may be exactly predetermined.

Attempts have also been made to supply a predetermined amount of brine to the can in the filling machine. In such machines however the floating content projects above the top of the can before it reaches the closing station, and when it depressed by an overflowing pad spilling is occasioned. By the brining device described above the can is filled to the predetermined extent very close to the closing station and the cover or end is placed. on the filled can almost immediately after the brine has been placed therein.

While the brining deviceis shown as appliedto a closing machine having asingle closing. station whereinthe can stopswhile it is closedyit will be understood of course that it is equally adapted 'for'use in connection with other types of closing machines. While the can is brought toa'tdwell for brim-- ing it will also be readily understood that the device isIwell adapted'for supplying brine to a can while it is travelling in the same manner as overflowing padsare bro ught' into operation uponcans while they are travelling;

it is understood tion is directed broadlyto the association of a brininr; device with aclosing machine of any type wherein the filled can is supplied with brine to a'predetermined extent as it passes to the closing means and in timing with the operation of the closing machine.

It is obvious that minor changesin the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i- 1. A brine supplying attachment for a can closing machine including a pad for engaging and temporarily closing the can, said pad having a portion projecting into the can and an opening leading through said pad, a brine supply chamber connected to said opening and including a valve casing movable relative to said pad, a valve disposed above and in fixed relation to said pad, and means for raising and lowering the valve casing and pad. I

2. A brine supplying attachment for a can closing machine including a pad for engaging and temporarily closing the can said pad having a portion projecting into the can and an opening leading through said pad, a sleeve connected to said pad, a valve casing disposed above said sleeve and having a pipe attached thereto extending into the sleeve, means for raising and lowering the valve casing and said sleeve and for permitting said sleeve to have a movement'relative to the valve casing, a valve in said casing disposed above said pad and connected to said sleeve.

3. A brine supplying attachment for a can closing machine including a pad for engaging and temporarily closing the can, said pad having a portion projecting into the can and an opening leading through said pad, a brine supply chamber connected to said opening including a member having a valve seat disposed above and movable retative to the pad, a valve in fixed relation to the pad and adapted to engagesaid valve seat for cutting off the supply of brine, and means for raising and lowering the member having the valve seat and the pad.

therefore that the. inven 4. A brine supplying attachment for a can closing machine including a pad for engaging and temporarily closing the can, said pad having a detachable projecting portion adapted to enter the can and an opening leading through said pad into the can, a brine supply chamber connected to said opening and including a valve casing movable relative to v the pad, 21 valve disposed above and in fixed relation to the pad and adapted to engage said valve seat for cutting off the supply of brine and means for raising and lowering the valve casing and pad so that the can is closed by the pad before the valve is opened and i. the valve is closed before the pad is lifted from the can.

In testimony whereof, I my signature.

JAMES H. ONEIL. 

